Folktale

Chapter 19

Bella's P.O.V

I could feel his eyes on me before I opened my eyes. It was that sensation of being watched. I laid on my back, my head on the pillows and I felt his body lying beside mine, our legs tangled together. I've been pretending to be asleep for about ten minutes, wondering if at any minute he's going to give up and kiss me. But he doesn't. Instead, he runs the tip of his finger from the tip of my nose to my lips, causing me to break character and giggle.

When I open my eyes, I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of light there is in the room and roll on my side toward him. His head is laying on the pillow, his hair messier than before, his jaw covered in a thin layer of hair. But what takes my breath away is that smile. That breathtaking smile. I've never seen him smile like that before, it was a smile that reached from ear to ear. It was the most genuine smile I'd ever seen.

"I've never seen you smile like that," I tell him, running my hands through his messy hair down to his jaw. I've never noticed how squared his jaw is or how muscular his arms actually are. "Is that a regular thing you do in the mornings?"

Edward shrugs sheepishly. "I've got a reason to this morning. And hopefully for every other morning." He leans over and kisses me. His eyes scan me over and for a second I'm worried what I actually look like in the morning. I have the sudden urge to get up and run to the bathroom to be presentable, but his smile widen as he moves my hair from my shoulder and cups my face in his hand. "Your hair is a mess this morning, I like it."

"Mmm, you're also a lovely sight this morning." I kiss him one, two times and then lay him down on his back, straddling his lap. I took his shirt last night after he had fallen asleep and put it on and I got to say, that's another clothing item he is not getting back. "Too bad it can't be every morning."

Edward runs his hand down my collarbone to my chest where my birthmark is. He traces my mark with the tip of his finger, his smile never leaving his face. "Do you believe in them? In past life scars?"

I shrug. "Maybe. Everyone has their own superstitions and I'm not the kind to believe them. But I do think my grandfather was crazy, do you really see me in a past life as a soldier fighting during the second world war? What little help I was." Edward chuckled, laying his hand under his head and the other tracing circles over my exposed thigh. That smile, however, it's breathtaking. "Seriously, what's with that smile?" I ask again.

"Well..." He sighs, looking at me in the eyes. For some reason they seem to look brighter. The green in his eyes pop with the sunlight coming in the room. His hair looks more copper and his skin... I run my hand down his chest to his abs. He takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips. "I've got a reason to smile, something that makes me happy and that reason is currently straddling my lap."

I chuckle and lean down, both my hands at either side of his head, my hair falling into a curtain around his face.

"Now I see, that's a cocky smile."

"No, it's not." He faked a gasp. "What do I have to be cocky about?"

I shrug. "Not to be self centered or anything, but I am in your bed and..." I flip my hair over my shoulder, leaning down to kiss the tip of his nose. "And I can-" I kiss his cheek "-do-" I kiss his other cheek "-this." And I finally kiss his lips, swaying my hips against his pelvis, earning a groan from him.

"That's enough teasing for one morning." He grips my thighs and flips me over, pinning me under his body. I yelp, wrapping my arms around him and laugh as I wrap my legs around his waist. He pulls my hair from my mouth and leans down to kiss me and when he pulls away, he looks at me like I'm everything to him. Like he's been blind and this is the first time he's looking at the sun. And it makes me feel good about myself. "You are... so beautiful."